RBA Wealth Management LLC Acquires 479 Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

RBA Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) by 1.2% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 41,579 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 479 shares during the period. Merck & Co., Inc. comprises approximately 2.2% of RBA Wealth Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 17th largest holding. RBA Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $5,486,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC bought a new position in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Bare Financial Services Inc bought a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Burkett Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. during the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Rakuten Securities Inc. bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, RIA Advisory Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

Shares of MRK opened at $125.85 on Friday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $99.14 and a fifty-two week high of $134.63. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $129.24 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $124.72. The stock has a market cap of $318.75 billion, a PE ratio of 139.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 1.25.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The company reported $2.07 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.94 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $15.78 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $15.21 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 14.05% and a net margin of 3.76%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 8.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.40 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 8.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.77 per share. This represents a $3.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.45%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 17th. Merck & Co., Inc.’s payout ratio is 342.22%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Cantor Fitzgerald reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $155.00 target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Tuesday, June 18th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $130.00 to $135.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 27th. Societe Generale cut Merck & Co., Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating and set a $104.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Monday, March 11th. Argus upgraded shares of Merck & Co., Inc. to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 5th. Finally, Berenberg Bank boosted their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $143.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, April 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Merck & Co., Inc. currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $133.00.

About Merck & Co., Inc.

Merck & Co, Inc operates as a healthcare company worldwide. It operates through two segments, Pharmaceutical and Animal Health. The Pharmaceutical segment offers human health pharmaceutical products in the areas of oncology, hospital acute care, immunology, neuroscience, virology, cardiovascular, and diabetes under the Keytruda, Bridion, Adempas, Lagevrio, Belsomra, Simponi, and Januvia brands, as well as vaccine products consisting of preventive pediatric, adolescent, and adult vaccines under the Gardasil/Gardasil 9, ProQuad, M-M-R II, Varivax, RotaTeq, Live Oral, Vaxneuvance, Pneumovax 23, and Vaqta names.